Halle is 5 Months!

My Fiesty Little Girl,

This month your personality has started to shine, and let me tell you, you are a spitfire! You are passionate when you're happy and you are passionate when you're not so happy!

You've learned that when you start crying, I'll pick you up. And when you don't get your way you start "screeching". Your cries are very distinct, as they have been from the beginning, but now in addition to your hurt/don't feel good cry, your hungry cry, and your "fussy" cry, you have an angry/mad "screech" to which there are no tears at first. It actually sounds like you're yelling even.

You're still pretty good for the most part in your carseat, except for on occasion when you try to arch your back while you're buckled in and then get mad when you realize you can't go anywhere. And sometimes I let you drive! lol

When you're in your bouncer I have to watch you very carefully already because you'll do the same thing in it, and you will slide down. One day I was sitting by you, looking down clipping coupons and looked up and you were half way out of it.

You are a mover and a shaker these days and you still bounce in your bouncie like it's nobody's business. You turn in circles on your back and have even kicked Charlie in the face a couple times when he's come over to "investigate" you. You are grabbing at everything these days and I'm amazed at your hand-eye coordination. Last week you were sitting in my lap when I was getting my hair done and you reached out and grabbed the cord. You are now grabbing your paci and pulling it out of your mouth and putting it back in... back and forth, back and forth. You gum on it as much as you suck on it these days, and sometimes you even bite down and pull it out of your mouth to make it "POP". You are also very interested in "textures" these days and love to rub your hands on the suade couch and on your Daddy's hair. We even let you pet Charlie sometimes. Speaking of Charlie, you laugh and laugh at him when he's running around and barking. It's the cutest thing!

You are getting better and better on your belly and turn over to your back like it's nothing, but you STILL haven't rolled to your belly yet! I thought for sure you would have done it by now, but nope... Oh well, I know you will do it when you're good and ready and for now I'll just be thankful that aside from scooching or turning in a circle you stay pretty stationary. I know it won't be like that for long!

Like last month, it seems as though you start something new every single day. Overnight you went from pursing your lips and blowing baby raspberries to sticking your tongue out and blowing BIG raspberries and getting spit everywhere! Once you get started you just keep going and going and soak yourself and your outfit with bubbles. On top of that, you love it when other people do it back!

While you've been grabbing your feet for a couple months, now you pull them straight to your mouth so you can suck on your toes. You're so limber!

I believe you've started to realize all the attention you get from people saying "Aw, she's so cute" when we go places because all though you are wary of strangers, you flash them a smile, as if to say, "Thanks! I get that a lot!"

You are my little grocery-shopping buddy and you are SO good when we shop! Well you're good just about all the time, but especially when we're shopping. I think it's because we're constantly moving and you love being engaged and looking at all the new things to see on every aisle. You love to watch people and look at lights, you're very aware of your surroundings.

We got you a highchair this month! You LOVE sitting in it and being up high, again, because you love being able to see everything that's going on around you. I can put you in it and sing to you while I'm cooking or doing the dishes and you're just as happy as a clam. Some of your favorite songs, by the way, are "I like to ATE, ATE, ATE, Ay-pples and Ba-nay-nays, Ea-pples and Ba-nee-nees, I-pples and ba-ni-ni's, O-pples and ba-no-no's, and U-pples and ba-nu-nu's..." and "If all the rain drops were lemon drops and gum drops, oh what a rain that would be... standing outside with my mouth open wide, AH AH AH AH AH AH AH AH AH AH..." I sing that one to you when I'm trying to get you to open your mouth for your rice cereal.

I've started giving it to you more often and last night you had your first taste of organic applesauce! At first you were cautious but then you opened your mouth like "BRING IT ON MAMA!" Next stop, vegetable town! I really just gave it to you because I wanted to see if you'd eat it better than the rice cereal and sure enough, you did.

Yesterday was your first Valentine's Day. Since it was on a Sunday, your Daddy ordered you and I flowers that came on Friday. Your Daddy sent you a special pink rose and it was even in it's very own vase. I cried when I read the card... It is our wish that you know how special you are and that you deserve to be treated well. I wanted to take some pictures of you with it and let you smell it but you tried to eat it! I had to take it from you and you "screeched"! Yes, you definitely have a mind of your own and an idea of how things should be... ALREADY! :)

You are still swaddled at night, even though I've tried to break you of it. You sleep ok without it (sometimes) but you sleep best with it, so for now we're still swaddling you. You can work your way out of it if you want to.

I think that's about it for this month!

Keep growing and stay healthy my sweet girl, but don't grow up too fast.

I love you more than you'll ever know!

Love,
Mommy

P.S. I will add her weight tomorrow and upload more pics so if you're reading this Monday night check back Tuesday.